KZN school without management for more than a year – DA

The party says three teachers on the school’s payroll are in fact teaching at surrounding schools.

The Democratic Alliance has written to the KwaZulu-Natal education MEC Mthandeni Dlungwana, asking him to fill the posts of principal and deputy principal of Bulwer’s Dumabezwe High School.

The party said the school “is on the verge of anarchy as a result of severe mismanagement” by the department.

The DA visited the school last week.

“According to school governing body members and staff, the school has been without a principal for a year and has had no deputy for two years. The DA’s inspection also revealed that three teachers, who are on the school’s payroll, are in fact teaching at surrounding schools, while Dumabezwe has a critical shortage of Life Sciences, Geography and isiZulu teachers,” DA spokesperson on education Dr Rishigen Viranna said.

He said school officials also claimed both the circuit and district manager were the source of many of the school’s problems.

“These [problems] include an unsafe school environment for both staff and learners, an upsurge in the use of drugs at the school, discipline issues among both learners and teachers, staff and learner absenteeism and late coming with no consequences,” he said.

Viranna also urged the MEC to launch an immediate probe into the serious claims against both the circuit and district managers.

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